From the award-winning author of Hers the Kingdom comes a delightful, irresistibly beguiling novel, alive with vibrant characters and an incandescent spirit. California in the 1960s and 70s forms the background to a saga of one family's passions, past and present, played out against the explosive era of the Vietnam War. Gift of the Golden Mountain follows the young part-Chinese heiress, May Reade, as she searches through her illustrious heritage for the roots of her own identity and her struggle to reconcile her Asian self with the American. Her journey of self-discovery takes her from the anti-war barricades of Berkeley to a remote village in China where she at last meets the mother who had deserted her at birth. There, in the country of her ancestors, she will not only begin to understand her confusion, but will find her future happiness and, in the final, savage climax of the fall of Saigon, decide her own destiny. Seen through the eyes of faith and lifelong family friends, Gift of the Golden Mountain describes with telling effect the pain one generation inflicts on the next, and the healing power of love and compassion, forgiveness and commitment.

Ambitious and determined, Hallie Duer craves to be at the center of her epoch—with Prohibition and bootleg gin, Model Ts and moving pictures, Red roundups and the routine lynching of Negroes. The old order is in upheaval, and the emerging new order is at last allowing extraordinary women their long-deserved place in the sun.     In this uncommon love story, Hallie, a consummate observer by profession, learns to become a passionate participant when she falls in love with a dynamic Irish lawyer, who is married but separated from his wife. The course of their involvement is complicated by Catholic convention and a secret from the past. Cool-headed, self-possessed Hallie experiences an all-consuming love, but pain, disappointment, and forgiveness are part of that passion.

California in the 1960s and 70s forms the background to a saga of one family’s passions, past and present, played out against the explosive era of the Vietnam War. It follows the young part-Chinese heiress, May Reade, as she searches through her illustrious heritage for the roots of her own identity and her struggle to reconcile her Asian self with the American. Her journey of self-discovery takes her from the anti-war barricades of Berkeley to a remote village in China where she at last meets the mother who had deserted her at birth. There, in the country of her ancestors, she will not only begin to understand her confusion, but will find her future happiness and, in the final, savage climax of the fall of Saigon, decide her own destiny.     Gift of the Golden Mountain continues the story of the pioneering Reade family, first encountered in the author’s earlier novel Hers the Kingdom. Seen through the eyes of faith, lifelong family friends and archivist, it describes with telling effect the pain one generation inflicts on the next, and the healing power of love and compassion, forgiveness and commitment.

When beautiful young Willa Reade first saw the wild California coast called the Malibu, she knew she had come home. It was here, with her handsome aristocratic husband, Owen, and her crippled sister Lena, that Willa would build her empire, an empire that would grow to shelter the generations of a mighty California dynasty.     Through the boom days of the railroads, from the dance halls of San Francisco, to the revolutionary fires of China, through the bitter losses of war and the terrible secrets of a forbidden love, Willa would fight. For pride, for passion, for her children and her men . . . for the vast cherished acres of the Malibu, her kingdom, her home, her destiny.  

A sweeping tale of one strong-willed woman's passionate struggle to hold to her cherished land and the men she loves, from bestselling author Shirley Streshinsky. When beautiful young Willa Reade first saw the wild California coast called the Malibu, she knew she had come home. It was here, with her handsome aristocratic husband, Owen, and her crippled sister Lena, that Willa would build her empire. Through the boom days of the railroads, from the dance halls of San Francisco, to the revolutionary fires of China, through the bitter losses of war and the terrible secrets of a forbidden love, Willa would fight. For pride, for passion, for her children and her men . . . for the vast cherished acres of the Malibu, her kingdom, her home, her destiny.

From the bestselling author of Hers the Kingdom comes a magnificent saga of unforgettable power-a spellbinding story of passion, honor, and destiny. In a narrative spanning the final decades of the 1800s, the end of the Hawaiian monarchy, annexation by the Unites States, and World War I, the lives of four starkly different headstrong individuals are inextricably woven. True Lindstrom was brought to the orphanage at Waikiki as a young girl. As bold as she is fair, True harbors a tragic childhood secret-as well as a fierce love for Evan Coulter, which she will defy fate and circumstance to fulfill. Twelve years older than True, Evan was already a young man the first time he saw her. Lean and handsome, Evan is an accomplished rider with an abiding love for the land and its people. His political future now seems limitless-until his passion for True jeopardizes his marriage and forces a decision that could alter Hawaiian history. Princess Kaiulani, a delicate child who traces her mother's ancestry to centuries of Hawaiian royalty, is heiress apparent to the Hawaiian throne. The last hope of the Hawaiian monarchy, Victoria Kaiulani is all too aware of the enormous responsibility places on her frail shoulders and understands that she will either grow up to rule the islands-or die a martyr to them. These dynamic lives are woven into a tale by Martha Moon, the gentle teacher who casts herself in the ancient Hawaiian role of storyteller. It is through her eyes that we witness four lifetimes of adversity, sorrow, joy, and ultimate triumph.

The compelling story of a legendary artist and an eternal American hero. In 1803, an eighteen-year-old West Indies–born Frenchman arrived in New York City, fleeing Napoleon’s conscription. His work would become inextricably entwined with the new world he so proudly adopted in his motto “America, my country.� Inspired by the primeval forests and the vast flocks of birds that thrived in them, Audubon spent the next several decades of his life painstakingly documenting the birds of the American wilderness. He traveled the back roads and bayous, searching out and studying the birds that were his pastime and passion. He spent long, silent hours observing them in the wild. He was no amateur ornithologist; rather, he drew his birds from life, and his work always carried the line “drawn from nature by J. J. Audubon.� Accompanied by his wife, Lucy, and their two sons, Audubon was able to challenge the world’s expectations and win. The story of this loving family’s long, profound struggle is as poignant and as relevant today as it was in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Combining meticulous scholarship with the dramatic life story of a naturalist and pioneer, Audubon reexamines the artist's journals and letters to tell the story of Audubon's quest, the origins of the American spirit, and the sacrifice that resulted in one of the world's greatest bodies of art: The Birds of America.

Set against the thrilling backdrop of the Jazz Age-an era when anything goes, A Time Between is the brilliant successor to critically acclaimed Hers the Kingdom, from bestselling novelist Shirley Streshinsky. Ambitious and determined, Hallie Duer craves to be at the center of her epoch-with Prohibition and bootleg gin, Model Ts and moving pictures, Red roundups and the routine lynching of Negroes. The old order is in upheaval, and the emerging new order is at last allowing extraordinary women their long-deserved place in the sun. In this uncommon love story, Hallie, a consummate observer by profession, learns to become a passionate participant when she falls in love with a dynamic Irish lawyer, who is married but separated from his wife. The course of their involvement is complicated by Catholic convention and a dark secret from the past, but self-possessed Hallie is determined to experience an all-consuming love, no matter the cost. With bold perseverance, pain, disappointment, and a passionate affair they said could never be, A Time Between relays the remarkable tale of a woman who dares to defy her time and place in history.

In a narrative spanning the final decades of the 1800s, the end of the Hawaiian monarchy, annexation by the Unites States, and World War I, the lives of four starkly different headstrong individuals are inextricably woven.     True Lindstrom was brought to the orphanage at Waikiki as a young girl. As bold as she is fair, True harbors a tragic childhood secret—as well as a fierce love for Evan Coulter, which she will defy fate and circumstance to fulfill. Twelve years older than True, handsome Evan is an accomplished rider with an abiding love for the land and its people. His political future now seems limitless—until his passion for True jeopardizes his marriage and forces a decision that could alter Hawaiian history. Princess Kaiulani, a delicate child who traces her ancestry to Scottish landowners on her father’s side and centuries of Hawaiian royalty on her mother’s, is heiress apparent to the Hawaiian throne. The last hope of the Hawaiian monarchy, she is all too aware of the enormous responsibility places on her frail shoulders and understands that she will either grow up to rule the islands—or die a martyr to them.     These dynamic lives are woven into a tale by Martha Moon, the gentle teacher who casts herself in the ancient Hawaiian role of storyteller. It is through her eyes that we witness four lifetimes of adversity, sorrow, joy, and ultimate triumph.

In 1803, an eighteen-year-old West Indies-born Frenchman arrived in New York City, fleeing Napoleon's conscription. His work would become inextricably entwined with the new world he so proudly adopted in his motto "America, my country."
Inspired by the primeval forests and the vast flocks of birds that thrived in them, Audubon spent the next several decades of his life painstakingly documenting the birds of the American wilderness. He traveled the back roads and bayous, searching out and studying the birds that were his pastime and passion. He spent long, silent hours observing them in the wild. He was no amateur ornithologist; rather, he drew his birds from life, and his work always carried the line "drawn from nature by J. J. Audubon."
Accompanied by his wife, Lucy, and their two sons, Audubon was able to challenge the world's expectations and win. The story of this loving family's long, profound struggle is as poignant and as relevant today as it was in the early decades of the nineteenth century.
Combining meticulous scholarship with the dramatic life story of a naturalist and pioneer, "Audubon" reexamines the artist's journals and letters to tell the story of Audubon's quest, the origins of the American spirit, and the sacrifice that resulted in one of the world's greatest bodies of art: "The Birds of America."

A gripping narrative of the love and betrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, told through the lives of three unique women.

Set against a dramatic backdrop of war, spies, and nuclear bombs, "An Atomic Love Story "unveils a vivid new view of a tumultuous era and one of its most important figures. In the early decades of the 20th century, three highly ambitious women found their way to the West Coast, where each was destined to collide with the young Oppenheimer, the enigmatic physicist whose work in creating the atomic bomb would forever impact modern history. His first and most intense love was for Jean Tatlock, though he married the tempestuous Kitty Harrison--both were members of the Communist Party--and was rumored to have had a scandalous affair with the brilliant Ruth Sherman Tolman, ten years his senior and the wife of another celebrated physicist. Although each were connected through their relationship to Oppenheimer, their experiences reflect important changes in the lives of American women in the 20th century: the conflict between career and marriage; the need for a woman to define herself independently; experimentation with sexuality; and the growth of career opportunities.

Beautifully written and superbly researched through a rich collection of firsthand accounts, this intimate portrait shares the tragedies, betrayals, and romances of an alluring man and three bold women, revealing how they pushed to the very forefront of social and cultural changes in a fascinating, volatile era.